This old lane is renowned for its long history, culture, specialty stores, and distinctive foods. It is 2,582 feet (787 meters) long and 26 feet (8 meters) wide, with its north end joining East Drum Tower Street, and the south end connecting East Di'anmen Street. This alley is also called Centipede Street because of the eight alleys symmetrically arranged on the two sides of the major lane.

It measures 761 feet (232 meters) long, connecting Di'anmen Outer Street at the east end and the junction of Xiaoshibei and Ya'er Hutongs at the west end. The slender street is like a pipe's stem, stretching from northeast to southwest, and its east end looks like the pipe's mouth. Besides, there used to be a bunch of pipe shops in late Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). So people called this street Skewed Tobacco Pouch. Today, many different kinds of bars, tea houses, coffee rooms and souvenir shops have mushroomed on the street.

It is in the northwest of Dongcheng District, stretching 1,919 feet (585 meters) from South Gong and Drum Lane to Di'anmen Outer Street. A lot of celebrities have lived there, such as Wan Rong - the last empress, Feng Guozhang - a leader of the Northern Warlords (1912-1926), and Hong Chengchou - a general in the Ming Dynasty (1368 –1644). Many of their former residences remain there.

Guozijian Street is to the west of Yonghe Temple, with its east end joining Yonghe Lamasery Street while the west end adjoins Andingmen Inner Street. The street is 2,195 feet (669 meters) in length and 36 feet (11 meters) in width. It is the only old alley in Beijing that still has traditional arches. Guozijian Street is renowned for its old-time Beijing layout and architectures, authentic native lifestyle, Temple of Confucius and Imperial Academy (Guozijian).

This alley has a long history, located outside Heping Gate. Early in the Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125), it was a village called 'Haiwang'. Then, a colored glaze factory was set up there and thus the name of the alley. Later, it became an antique market. Nowadays, nearly 100 time-honored brands are still there, such as Rongbao Zhai - containing precious calligraphy and paintings, Yungu Zhai - housing quaint enamels and porcelains, and Yuehai Xuan - selling traditional musical instruments.

With its east end joining North Dongdan Street while the west end adjoins Wangfujing Street, it measures 1,860 feet (567 meters) long. It is wider than other alleys in Beijing and houses the famous Jixiang Theater, Peninsular Hotel, and Novotel Peace Hotel.

Together with Xijiaomin Lane, they are called the longest hutong in Beijing, with a length of 9,843 feet (3 kilometers). Stretching from East Tiananmen Square Road to Chongwenmen Inner Street, Dongjiaomin Lane used to be the location of many foreign embassies. There are also sites of old churches, banks, official mansions and clubs. Buildings there form the only European style block in Beijing, which contains the early 20th-century features.

It is an east-west alley starting from West Tiananmen Square Road to North Xinhua Street, measuring 3,543 feet (1.08 km) in length. More than ten banks were set on this alley from late Qing Dynasty to late 20th century, making it the 'Financial Street of old Beijing'. There are many sites of old banks, such as Central Bank, Continental Bank, and Commercial Guarantee Bank of Beiyang Government.

Ju'er Hutong

With a length of 1,437 feet (438 meters), it starts from Jiaodaokou South Street in the east and ends at South Gong and Drum Lane in the west. It houses the former residence of Rong Lu, a minister in the late Qing Dynasty, including his mansion, ancestral hall, and garden.

Once the synonym for the red-light district in old Beijing, it refers to an area to the west of Guanyin Temple and near Dashilar Street outside Qianmen Gate. This area features eight alleys from west to east named Baishun, Yanzhi, Hanjia, Shaanxi, Stone (Shitou), Zongshu Xiejie, Zhujia, and Xiaoli.

Antique Shops along the Street

Visiting a Courtyard

Others

Zhuanta Hutong: It was named after the Brick Tower (Zhuanta in Chinese) inside, commemorating an eminent monk - Wan Song in the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234).

Fengfu Hutong: It is to the west of Wangfujing Street, housing the former residence of Lao She, one of Chinese famous writers in modern times.

One Foot Street (Yichi Dajie): It's the shortest one with a length about 33 feet (10 meters).

Qianshi Hutong: It was the location of money market (Qianshi) in the Qing Dynasty. Known as the narrowest one in Beijing, its narrowest point is about 1.3 feet (0.4 meters) wide.

Lingjing Hutong: It is the widest one with a width of 106 feet (32.18 meters) at the widest point.

What is the name of the Beijing hutong around the forbidden city with a lake ?

Answers (1)

Answered by Keira from CANADA | Mar. 27, 2019 00:42

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Mao'er Hutong is nearby Houhai Park and Forbidden City. It is a good choice for you. Hope helpful!

Asked by Stephen Mills from SPAIN | Jan. 11, 2019 05:01Reply

Hi what hutong is near Beijing wang Fu Jing. Prefer walking please.

Answers (1)

Answered by Mason from CANADA | Jan. 14, 2019 23:53

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Shijia Hutong is the best choice for you. :)

Asked by Wendy from SINGAPORE | Nov. 03, 2018 01:18Reply

Best walking distance Beijing Hutong from Tiananmen Square

Hi, I’m visiting Tiananmen Square on 7Dec2018 and wondering if there is any best walking distance Hutong from Tiananmen Square. Can you let me know? Thanks.

Answers (1)

Answered by Ellene from USA | Nov. 05, 2018 18:59

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You ca stroll around the Lingjing Hutong, whose overall is about 664 meters and which is the widest one in Beijing.

Asked by Michael from AUSTRALIA | Jul. 11, 2018 03:32Reply

Best hutong near Chaoyang in Beijing?

Looking for a great Hutong restaurant on the way to the airport

Answers (1)

Answered by Bowen from HUNGARY | Jul. 11, 2018 19:37

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There is a Meifu family banquet Hutong restaurant which is very delicious and it is located in No. 24 Da Xiang Feng Hu Tong, Xicheng District and the open time is 11:00-14:00;17:00-21:00.

Asked by Philipp from GERMANY | Mar. 03, 2018 03:51Reply

Nearest Hutong to Dongzhimen station

Hi,I have a 10 hours stopover in Beijing and was thinking in going to Dongzhimen station from the airport, to discover some things by foot from there. Which would be a hutong close to this area that you can recommend to visit?Thanks!Philipp

Answers (1)

Answered by Amenda from UK | Mar. 04, 2018 21:29

01Reply

I was told there is a Dongshoupa Hutong nearby, and walk west for 5mins after leaving the station, you will reach there. Or you can take subway line 2 to Qianmen Station within 20misn, near which are many famous hutongs.